The Bible is full of gardens. From Eden to Eternity, they are a place to worship, nourish ourselves, and to work. There is so much we can learn from our earthly gardens too. Maybe you’ve spent months toiling and are now reaping the harvest. It’s evidence of God’s faithfulness.
Andrea Burke is a Rochester, NY based gardener who is also a lover of Jesus. Her book, “A Bit of Earth” is a divine blend of poetry, devotional and gardening tips.
About your host: Terese Main is a wife, mom and flawed human. Above all, she loves Jesus. She co-hosts Main & Gabel, which can be heard weekday afternoons on radio stations across New York and Pennsylvania, and at www.familylife.org. She is a native of the Finger Lakes Region and a graduate of Ithaca College. It’s her heart’s desire to encourage others to live their lives fully in God’s blessing.
As Mr. Rogers once asked in song, “What do you do with the mad that you feel?” Feelings happen; how do we react? Steve and Tim talk about our emotions and our actions.
Then: Hopper better wear a life vest.
Rise Up is a morning radio show hosted by Steve & Tim on Family Life, a network of stations across New York and Pennsylvania. Our podcast is a weekly conversation designed to help you think, laugh, and keep your eyes on Jesus. If you haven’t already, subscribe today, so you don’t miss a single episode! Listen online and find out more about our show at familylife.org.
Keystone Elk Country Visitors Center – the PA Wilds
North Central Pennsylvania is gearing up for a massive influx of tourism, as we move past Labor Day Weekend.
The Elk Country Visitors Center at Benezette, Pennsylvania, sees 400,000 guests annually. Add in the people who go elk watching each fall in the public lands without stopping by the visitors center, and you’ll know why this interaction with nature’s unique wildlife is such a big deal.
Ben Porkolab is the Conservation Education Coordinator for the Keystone Elk Country Alliance. In this Family Life News Feature, he offers our listeners a radio tour of the Pennsylvania Wilds, one of only two regions in the U.S. where Elk are this numerous.
You will hear about the Pennsylvania elk herd, plus what makes these huge animals so unique. He talks about why Elk County and the surrounding regions captures the imaginations of so many people. It draws crowds from through the local area and throughout the world. (Porkolab gives the example of one couple who came half way around the world, with three specific tourism goals.)
Porkolab also gives insights into how this kind of Wildlife Tourism is so significant to the region.
Check out the Elk Country website for full details, recommendations for your visit, and live cameras and recorded videos to “take you there” (even if you can’t visit in person).
In addition to this Staycation podcast, we also have web-only BONUS CONTENT with elk viewing and elk-viewing safety tips for you and your family. Check it out as well.
Staycation Destinations is a weekly summer feature presented by Family Life News. Even as we arrive at the end of Summer 2024, your radio travels don’t have to end. All of Greg Gillispie’s features are available from your “Family Life News” podcast feed or through the NEWS tab at www.FamilyLife.org. You can visit — or revisit — these unique places in New York State and Pennsylvania by listening to or downloading our audio.You can also scroll through our Staycation archives from previous summers.
You can also share these interviews with friends and family, or choose to subscribe to receive notifications each time your favorite Family Life podcast posts a new episode. Find all our podcasts on our website or through the Family Life Now mobile app.
He also wanted to add some advice for those who go to the Elk Country Visitors Center, any of the nearby national forest or state park areas, or some other place in these 11 counties in north central Pennsylvania.
Tap the podcast player on this page for this bonus content with Porkolab’s recommendations to enjoy watching the elk, but keeping you and your family safe, if you get “up close and personal” around one of these majestic animals.
Also, the website for the Elk Country Visitors Center has a full library of images and videos of the elk in Elk County and beyond … like this one:
From surviving a serious medical condition at birth, to becoming a single father as his niece’s legal guardian at 21 years old, Jeremy Rosado will tell you that a faithful God is writing the story of his life. Whether he’s singing “Come and See” what God has done, or reminding you that “Nothing” (or in his Spanish version, “Nada”!) could ever separate you from the love of Christ, Jeremy is passionate about leading hearts to trust in our good God.
Find out more about Jeremy here. Jeremy is in concert September 7th, 2024, at the Rise Up Festival in Unadilla, NY, a free open-air event to celebrate God’s ever-present grace, mercy, and goodness. Find all the details here.
“Ten Minutes With” is a podcast for people who want to listen to podcasts, but don’t have much time. If you’ve enjoyed this episode of “Ten Minutes With,” be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode. You might also consider giving to Family Life—the listener-funded ministry that makes this, and other podcasts possible. Go to familylife.org and find out more about what we do.
Churches and Political Actions – Kim Roberts – 8/29/24
Many churches and denominations can be labeled as supportive of one side of the political spectrum or the other. Others avoid politics at all costs.
Part of the reason congregations avoid actions and speech related to electoral politics is fear of risking their non-profit status. However, federal law and IRS regulations do not silence Christian entities which want to promote voting and motivate their people into political action.
Family Life News asked reporter Kim Roberts to detail her research into what is and isn’t allowed when churches and campaigns overlap. Christian individuals can always be active with promoting or opposing a candidate, but when it comes to 501(c)3 organizations, they have to stay non-partisan about candidates. Yet churches and other religious ministries are free to speak out on public issues that weigh on the ballot box. There are no IRS consequences for churches to hold candidate forums, carry out voter registration or get-out-the-vote efforts, or offer rides to the polls. In fact, as you will hear in this conversation, the Church throughout history has been vibrant and vocal in the political and social issues around them.
Kim Roberts, a reporter for the Christian journalism organization Ministry Watch, also discusses how local, state and national candidates reach out to churches, in order to influence their members to vote a certain way. Also, political and culture-fight organizations are finding ways to motivate people of faith to elect certain candidates or stand for particular political issues.
Kim Robert’s detailed article “Church and Politics: What’s Allowed?” is available from www.MinistryWatch.com. She also has other reporting on many faith-based events and issues.
Among the resources for congregations and church leaders — and other groups — she mentions in this podcast:
An IRS document, detailing the distinctions for 501(c)3 organizations on partisan politicking (not allowed) and lobbying (allowed)
Turning Point USA’s TPFaith efforts to motivate political and cultural action by conservative and mid-spectrum Christians
Black Church PAC’s plans to carry out a massive voter mobilization effort this fall
A political science professor’s observation that it is extremely rare that the IRS revokes a church’s charitable status, even if they carry out activities that lean solidly toward one candidate or one political party
